External Hard Drive Corrupted - Photo's Lost?
Discussion
Please help! I have a 40gb External Hard Drive, and uploaded ALL of my photo's to it to free space on my PC - some are hosted on Photobucket luckily.
This is what happens when I open a file.....
I tried transferring back to the PC, but the same happens. I've done a disk check, no errors were found. The thumbnails show the pictures perfectly.
Has anyone got an idea if I can rescue them?
This is what happens when I open a file.....
I tried transferring back to the PC, but the same happens. I've done a disk check, no errors were found. The thumbnails show the pictures perfectly.
Has anyone got an idea if I can rescue them?
You say windows can read the files to make thumbnails? Seems odd that you them can't see them properly. Have you tried opening them in another program and or computer? That would be the first port of call.
Also try deleting the thumbs.db file from one of the folders (if there is one - though it may be hidden), then view as thumbnails. This will see if windows can rebuild the thumbnails properly and give an indication if the files are upto date.
Obviously ensure windows has the latest service packs/updates and your virus checker/ spyware software is upto date.
If all else fails there are recvery services out there, just don't do anything rash!
Good luck.
Also try deleting the thumbs.db file from one of the folders (if there is one - though it may be hidden), then view as thumbnails. This will see if windows can rebuild the thumbnails properly and give an indication if the files are upto date.
Obviously ensure windows has the latest service packs/updates and your virus checker/ spyware software is upto date.
If all else fails there are recvery services out there, just don't do anything rash!
Good luck.
Exactly this happened to a load of images I had on a 1GB SD card, the bad news is that they are gone 
I fear that your file corruption may be permanent....
I've got 2 500GB external drives which I mirror just incase the worst happens, and if the even worse happens I've got the whole lot backed up to www.mozy.com ($50 buys unlimited backup space).
I fear that your file corruption may be permanent.... I've got 2 500GB external drives which I mirror just incase the worst happens, and if the even worse happens I've got the whole lot backed up to www.mozy.com ($50 buys unlimited backup space).
It's an image from the hard drive uploaded directly to Photobucket.
Have tried opening them on another PC, that didn't work either.
The thumbnails all look perfect in Thumbnail view - I've tried searching for thumbs.db - even in hidden files & folders, but no luck mysteriously!
Thanks for the link, Trackdemon - that looks perfect, as I will be now backing up photo's to a dedicated laptop, and then mirroring them elsewhere!
Have tried opening them on another PC, that didn't work either.
The thumbnails all look perfect in Thumbnail view - I've tried searching for thumbs.db - even in hidden files & folders, but no luck mysteriously!
Thanks for the link, Trackdemon - that looks perfect, as I will be now backing up photo's to a dedicated laptop, and then mirroring them elsewhere!
Nope - that didn't work either! Then tried opening in Irfanview but still the same pink & green!
P.s Drive Troubleshooting - all devices working properly
p.p.s All files that won't work are off the Nikon
Would this give anyone a clue??
P.s Drive Troubleshooting - all devices working properly
p.p.s All files that won't work are off the Nikon
Would this give anyone a clue?? Edited by blondemoment on Sunday 4th March 21:15
blondemoment said:
Stuart - you are so kind to try - I didn't know where to start!
If you could try one last time, I would be eternally grateful!!
Jo
If you could try one last time, I would be eternally grateful!!
Jo
If you want to put up another image or two or email them to me stuart AT bonell DOT com, I'll try, but don't get your hopes up.
Stuart
Edited by stuart b on Monday 5th March 09:30
stuart b said:
Sorry - I tried Sandisk RescuePro and a JPEG Recovery util. on that one, but no luck. Thumb looks OK to me as well, but I suspect it's embedded.
I'll try another one if you like.
Stuart
I'll try another one if you like.
Stuart
The trouble is that these recovery packages need to be run on the corrupted drive.
Sandisk RescuePro may work on the hard drive itself.
I've also used File Scavenger to recover items - it takes a long while though.
Yes - you're right. I wasn't clear what the function of Sandisk RescuePro was as I'd never used it. It is a file recovery utility which I suppose has a specialisation for removable drives/flash memory.
I used another couple however which were specifically for trying to recover corrupt image files (i.e. when you have the file but it doesn't view properly as in this case). Neither were able to help in this case.
Stuart
I used another couple however which were specifically for trying to recover corrupt image files (i.e. when you have the file but it doesn't view properly as in this case). Neither were able to help in this case.
Stuart
Luminous Landscape said:
Bad Cards & Accidental Erasures
One of the worst things that can happen on a shoot is to find oneself with a corrupted or accidentally erased memory card. I'll tell my own anecdote in a moment, but first I should mention that when you have 50 photographers working together for three weeks, and the giggage mounts up, accidents and misadventures are bound to happen.
We had at least a half dozen instances of people who had corrupted memory cards, or who needed to recover files from cards once they had been reformatted. Fortunately a couple of people had a program on their laptops called Photorescue, which in every instance was able to save the day.
Other data recovery programs, such as those now provided free by card makers such as Sandisk and Lexar just didn't cut it. Sometimes a few files could be recovered, but not always, and not all files. With PhotoRescue a complete recovery was possible almost every time. As soon as I got home I downloaded a copy – it's available for both Windows and Mac OSX. Don't leave home without it. A review on Imaging Resource tells you all about this fine and inexpensive program.
My own near disaster occurred after the first day ashore shooting in South Georgia with the Hasselblad and P45 back. My usual routine is to copy cards to a hard drive and then once safely copied, to start reviewing them. But since I have now changed my workflow to Lightroom, and like its ability to import from a card reader to two drives simultaneously (thus making a backup in real time), this is what I did, along with shots made with my Canon 1Ds MKII.
That evening in my cabin after dinner, once the files were all copied over, I started reviewing the thumbnails on screen. Everything looked fine, and so pouring another glass of wine I popped the CF cards into the P45 and reformatted them for use the next day.
I then saw one particular thumbnail that looked interesting and clicked on it to view at full size. Oh oh! Nothing happened. What I quickly discovered was that Lightroom had only imported the P45's built in thumbnails, not the entire file. (P45 files are not "officially" supported by Lightroom. Thomas Knoll had kindly put in preliminary support for P45 files for Bill Atkinson and me for our Lightroom shoot in Iceland in summer '06). Please note that this bug does not exists with any other type of camera files.
I tried two file recovery programs that I had on my Macbook, but nothing would recover the files. I then went to the ship's bar (our evening hang-out), and asked if anyone had any stronger medicine. A couple of people had Photorescue, and within the hour 97 of 102 files on the card had been rescued.
This story was to be repeated throughout the trip, with someone every day or two having either a corrupted or accidentally formatted card, and every time full or almost full recovery was possible. Forewarned is forearmed.
Ps: The P45 / Lightroom solution was to go back to what I had always been doing, which is to copy the files from the card to a hard drive, and then Import into Lightroom, rather than to use the program's auto-import function. Of course Auto-import worked perfectly with all my other camera files.
One of the worst things that can happen on a shoot is to find oneself with a corrupted or accidentally erased memory card. I'll tell my own anecdote in a moment, but first I should mention that when you have 50 photographers working together for three weeks, and the giggage mounts up, accidents and misadventures are bound to happen.
We had at least a half dozen instances of people who had corrupted memory cards, or who needed to recover files from cards once they had been reformatted. Fortunately a couple of people had a program on their laptops called Photorescue, which in every instance was able to save the day.
Other data recovery programs, such as those now provided free by card makers such as Sandisk and Lexar just didn't cut it. Sometimes a few files could be recovered, but not always, and not all files. With PhotoRescue a complete recovery was possible almost every time. As soon as I got home I downloaded a copy – it's available for both Windows and Mac OSX. Don't leave home without it. A review on Imaging Resource tells you all about this fine and inexpensive program.
My own near disaster occurred after the first day ashore shooting in South Georgia with the Hasselblad and P45 back. My usual routine is to copy cards to a hard drive and then once safely copied, to start reviewing them. But since I have now changed my workflow to Lightroom, and like its ability to import from a card reader to two drives simultaneously (thus making a backup in real time), this is what I did, along with shots made with my Canon 1Ds MKII.
That evening in my cabin after dinner, once the files were all copied over, I started reviewing the thumbnails on screen. Everything looked fine, and so pouring another glass of wine I popped the CF cards into the P45 and reformatted them for use the next day.
I then saw one particular thumbnail that looked interesting and clicked on it to view at full size. Oh oh! Nothing happened. What I quickly discovered was that Lightroom had only imported the P45's built in thumbnails, not the entire file. (P45 files are not "officially" supported by Lightroom. Thomas Knoll had kindly put in preliminary support for P45 files for Bill Atkinson and me for our Lightroom shoot in Iceland in summer '06). Please note that this bug does not exists with any other type of camera files.
I tried two file recovery programs that I had on my Macbook, but nothing would recover the files. I then went to the ship's bar (our evening hang-out), and asked if anyone had any stronger medicine. A couple of people had Photorescue, and within the hour 97 of 102 files on the card had been rescued.
This story was to be repeated throughout the trip, with someone every day or two having either a corrupted or accidentally formatted card, and every time full or almost full recovery was possible. Forewarned is forearmed.
Ps: The P45 / Lightroom solution was to go back to what I had always been doing, which is to copy the files from the card to a hard drive, and then Import into Lightroom, rather than to use the program's auto-import function. Of course Auto-import worked perfectly with all my other camera files.
See towards the bottom of: www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/aa-07-worked.shtml
Sorry its not working for you.
If images are very special to you give me all details of hard drive make model and how you loaded them, and i will let you know if one of our puter anoraks here can sort it out
Hopfully you can post to me and i will pass on to John hes a whizz at that stuff.
If images are very special to you give me all details of hard drive make model and how you loaded them, and i will let you know if one of our puter anoraks here can sort it out
Hopfully you can post to me and i will pass on to John hes a whizz at that stuff. Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff